Sad to say, Mrs. Campbell was not, in the end, successful in her dream of educational television. WETA and other PBS stations are under assault by critics who say that their mission is now fulfilled by cable outlets such as Discovery Channel and the History Channel. Well, let’s take a look at what educational fare is on History Channel today, under the banner “Incredible But True” (emphasis mine):
- Circus Freaks and Sideshows
- Bigfoot and Other Monsters
- Exorcising the Devil
- Stigmata: Marked for Life
- Alaska’s Bermuda Triangle
The Learning Channel (they’ve now quite consciously dropped the “Learning” moniker in favor of TLC) is now your one-stop outlet for home and beauty makeovers — it’s odd that an hour-long program about interior design nonetheless seems to have no time to actually educate you about doing the projects — and Travel Channel seems to be a 24-hour commercial for Las Vegas.
Unfortunately, PBS stations are no better these days. WETA has been littering it’s schedule with such dubious infomercials as “The Wrinkle Cure,” “Weight Loss with Dr. Shapiro,” “Play Piano in a Flash,” “Dr. Wayne Dyer National Pledge,” and the latest fundraising vehicle from Suze Orman.
I used to be a total TV junkie. These days, I find very little worth watching, even with TiVo. I used to enjoy documentaries and educational programs, but these days they seem to be little more than promotional videos or of dubious educational value. There’s not even that much on TV that’s entertaining any longer… unless you are of the voyeuristic bent.
Like any technology, the ubiquitous nature of television has been it’s downfall. Because TV is in every corner of our lives — in the home, in the office, in the airport, in the supermarket, and now in every restaurant — the competition for eyeballs has never been greater. Thus, like telephones, fax machines, and the internet, television caters to the lowest common denominator. Unlike those other technologies, television has a real power over people. It’s such a waste of an amazing cultural force that we can’t put it to better use.
